RICH MAN, POOR MAN
James 2:1-13
The secretary picked up the phone and heard a very countryfied voice on the other end saying; “I want to talk to the head hog at the trough!”
Puzzled, the secretary said, “Excuse me sir?”
He repeated; “I want to talk to the head hog at the trough!”
She then realized the man wanted to talk to the pastor. Somewhat indignant she said, “Sir if you want to talk to our pastor, you will have to address him properly. You should call him Pastor, or Reverend, or Brother, but you certainly cannot refer to him as the Head Hog at the Trough!”
The man on the other end said in a country drawl, “Oh I just wanted to donate $10,000. to the church.”
The secretary promptly replied, “Can you hold please, I think the big pig just walked through the door!”
Not only is the mature Christian patient in testing (James 1), but he also practices the truth. This is the theme of James 2. Immature people talk about their beliefs, but the mature person lives his faith. Hearing God’s Word (James 1:22-25) and talking about God’s Word can never substitute for doing God’s Word. James in this parenthetical passage is giving an example of pure religion as opposed to a person who seems to be religious (1:27; 2:15, 16).
James wanted to help us practice God’s Word, so he gave us a simple test. He sent two visitors to a church service, a rich man and a poor man; and he watched to see how they were treated. The way we behave toward people indicates what we really believe about God! We cannot-and dare not-separate human relationships from divine fellowship.
“If a man say, ‘I love God,’ and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20)
Believers are to accept others without prejudice and to assist others without presumption. We would skip some passages of scripture if we didn’t go passage by passage or verse by verse.
I. EXHORTATION, (1)
“Don’t show favoritism!”
This is practical. He is saying, “You are prejudiced and it is inconsistent with our faith and unlike Christ.
The desire to be somebody was as prevalent than as it is now.
* The Pharisees in their attempt to obtain the praise of men would have loud and long public prayers.
* They would give alms with great fanfare.
* They insisted on being called “rabbi.”
* They wore broad phylacteries and enlarged the borders of their garments.
* They loved the uppermost rooms at feasts and desired the chief seats in the synagogues.
II. EXAMPLE - Illustrated us 2 & 3, vs. 4 are we guilty of the same
Any judge who allows judgement to be perverted because of a persons wealth is counted an evil judge. We assume the role of judges with evil thoughts.
“There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man” (Luke 18:2).
Every ancient city boasted a judge who tended to the disputes of the people. Most matters were settled by the elders and synagogue leaders. But secular affairs were often heard by a judge. In the day and area of which Christ spoke, these judges would have been appointed by Herod Antipas or directly by the Roman government Corruption filled the ranks of the judges as they took bribes in exchange for favorable verdicts. Officially, these men received the title Dayyaneh Gezeroth, which means “the judges
of prohibitions and punishments.” But the locals gave them a different name by changing one letter in the second word. The common people called the judges Dayyaneh Gezeloth, which means “robber judges.” Court decisions were not rendered justly but went instead to the highest bidder.
We are robber judges. The one showing favoritism takes it upon himself to determine who is most important
I. EXHORTATION
II. EXAMPLE
III. EXPLANATION, vs. 5-7
James explains why preferential judgement was wrong. He makes his point with 4 questions—each anticipate an affirmative answer.
Question # 1. A question about the poor, “Hath not God chosen the poor” (Verse 5)? 1 Cor 1:26-28
We cater to the rich, expecting something and avoid the poor because they embarrass us.
When the Son of God came to this earth from the glories of Heaven,
* He chose the poor for His home, being born into the family of Mary and Joseph, the humble carpenter.
* From the time of His birth, when He was placed in a borrowed cradle, until His death, when He was placed in a borrowed tomb.
* He had little of this world’s goods.
* He noted that the birds had their nests and the foxes had their holes, but He had no place of His own to lay His head.
* When He needed a coin to settle an argument about taxes He was forced to say, “Show me a penny.”
But while God often chooses the poor of this world, He graciously makes them “rich in faith,” (verse 5) appointing them
“heir of His kingdom.”
Question # 1, A Question about the poor.
Questions # 2-4, Three questions about the rich. Vs. 6, 7
#2. Aren’t the rich guilty of oppression
#3. Aren’t they the ones dragging you into court - one week late on a payment
#4. Aren’t they guilty of blaspheming the name of our savior. They Blaspheme Christ.
* Cable TV magnate Ted Turner says he is looking forward to going to hell “because that’s where I’m headed.” The remark prompted audible gasps from church goers attending a luncheon at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA, near Atlanta, where
* Turner also apologized for making offensive statements about the Christian faith. “At one time or another, I’ve offended about every church group,” said Turner, who initiated the idea of a public apology.
* He repeatedly has called Christianity “a religion for losers,” remarks which he said were made out of frustration over the death of his sister, the divorce of his parents, and the suicide of his father. . . .
* Turner told the American Humanist Association when they named him “Humanist of the Year,” that he was “saved seven or eight times” as a youth attending Sunday school and church. It isn’t hard to understand that he didn’t get saved even once because he was raised an Episcopalian. I would seriously doubt that he ever heard the word “saved” used at that church. . . .
* He has called those who oppose abortion “bozos” and said they “look like idiots,” stated the Dallas Morning News
* “Christianity is a religion for losers. Christ died on the cross, but he shouldn’t have bothered,” said Turner “I don’t want anybody to die for me. I”ve had a few drinks and a few girl friends and if that is gonna put me in Hell, then so be it,” said Turner.
Stop treating the rich with special favor. Stop licking their boots! It is wrong and unreasonable to insult the poor and favor the rich.
Verses 5-7.
* It is foolish to despise those whom God loves
* to honor those who despise you
* and honor those who despise God.
1. EXHORTATION
2. EXAMPLE
3. EXPLANATION
4. EXCUSES, 8-13
2 Excuses for partiality and prejudice, I will state the excuses as questions: the questions are not asked but implied by the answers.
A. “Who is my neighbor?” verse 8. Luke 10:29. Asked by a lawyer of religion who wanted to justify his partiality and prejudice.
“Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked as she returned to her apartment late one night. She screamed and shrieked as she fought for her life . . . yelling until she was horse. . . for thirty minutes . . . as she was beaten and abused. Thirty-eight people watched the half hour episode from their windows with rapt fascination. Not one so much as walked over to the telephone and called the police. Kitty died that night as thirty-eight witnesses watched in silence.
Luke 10 fits into James 2 because a seemingly religious priest and Levite pass up a man in need and yet they know the law. The Samaritan fulfilled the Royal Law!
Luke 10:25 How could an individual ignore such crying desperate needs?
V 25 man lawyer - Torah first 5 books memorized?
“Tempted”= “put to test” He was putting Jesus into a “theological corner”
V26. . . “You’re the lawyer . You’ve studied Moses, how do you interpret the law?”
A phylactery was a box they would wear on their forehead. Inside the box were several portions of scripture- Ex. 13:1-10,11-16 Deut. 6:4-9 11:13-20 which they recited twice daily.
V27 quote from phylactery
V28 “right” = Orthos from Orthodox = “straight teaching”
How could you be so right, yet so wrong.
The way we behave towards people indicates what we really believe about God.
29, use sophistry to obscure responsibility. Like President Clinton they used legal language to obscure responsibility.
vs.30 “went down”
Symbolic of mans journey as a sinner
Jerusalem (city of peace) to Jericho (city of death) 17mi. 300 ft. drop
What was the attitude of the priest and Levite.
They were orthodox, they “seemed to be religious.” Jesus is explaining how someone can be so right and yet so wrong. We have here men of the cloth ignoring a man in need. They were able to leave their religion in the temple. Who wants to interrupt a trip to help a guy who’s gotten himself mixed up with the wrong crowd?
We think we’ve got religion if we didn’t steal, The Bible takes you way beyond not stealing to giving (Christ likeness, perfection, maturity).
The good Samaritan exemplifies “pure, perfect and profitable” religion as expressed in James.
At a leading seminary in America, a professor gave an assignment to thoroughly exegete Luke 10:25-36 on the good Samaritan. When class was over, the young men returned to their rooms to study in depth this rich passage. On the next morning, unknown to the students, the professor had planted a fellow student in the bushes by the walkway leading to class. The student in the bushes was dressed the part of a battered and beaten bum. Ketchup had been generously spread over his clothes to give the appearance of blood. Hurrying to class armed with pages of notes on the good Samaritan, not a single student stopped to assist the “injured” party.
How many times do we walk out the doors of our church, armed with solid Bible teaching, nodding our heads in agreement with what we have heard, but never put into practice what we have learned when our paths cross those who have desperate needs? There is something empty about that sort of “Christianity.” Are we orthodox (right)? Do we just seem to be religious?
A. “Who is my neighbor?”
B. “What’s the big deal?”
“It’s a minor offence (trivial).”
“It’s not like I’m breaking the law”
v. 9. “ye commit sin”
v. 10. Utilizing the extreme instances of adultery and murder, James shows the absurdity of inconsistent obedience.
We had a chain break when we were cutting down a tree. How many links in a long chain need to break for the chain to be broken? Just one trivial link broke and the tree hit the garage.
Note: You break one law you break them all. But by keeping one law you can keep them all. Verse 8.
V. Examination (12-13)
Our attitudes will be judged.
James contrasted two attitudes: showing mercy to others, and refusing to show mercy. If we have been merciful toward others, God can be merciful toward us. However, we must not twist this truth into a lie. It does not mean that we earn mercy by showing mercy, because it is impossible to earn mercy. If it is earned, it is not mercy! Nor does it mean that we should “be soft on sin” and never judge it in the lives of others. “I don’t condemn anybody,” a man once said, “and God won’t condemn me.” How wrong he was!
Mercy and justice both come from God, so they are not competitors. Where God finds repentance and faith, He is able to show mercy; where He finds rebellion and unbelief, He must administer justice. It is the heart of the sinner that determines the treatment he gets.
The story is told of a politician who, after receiving the proofs of a portrait, was very angry with the photographer. He stormed back to the photographer and arrived with these angry words: “This picture does not do me justice!” The photographer replied, “Sir, with a face like yours, you don’t need justice, you need mercy!”
Therefore fulfill the royal law.
When we discriminate:
* we hurt ourselves
* you’ll miss a part of your body
* so will the body of Christ, I Cor 12 - you need your hand
In 1884 a young man died, and after the funeral his grieving parents decided to establish a memorial to him. With that in mind they met with Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University. Eliot received the unpretentious couple into his office and asked what he could do. After they expressed their desire to fund a memorial, Eliot impatiently said, “Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship.”
“We were thinking of something more substantial than that . . . perhaps a building,” the woman replied. In a patronizing tone, Eliot brushed aside the idea as being too expensive and the couple departed. The next year, Eliot learned that this plain pair had gone elsewhere and established a $26 million memorial named Leland Stanford Junior University, better known today as Stanford! Another good example of how wrong it can be to judge people by their appearance. — Today in the Word, Moody Bible Institute, 6-11-92
